The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method and a computer program and, more particularly, to an information processing apparatus and method and a computer program that, if a decision for processing to be automatically executed without intervention by a user becomes difficult to make, are adapted to make inquiries to clear such a difficult status and, when a similar status occurs next, use an inquiry result as a decision criterion.
Recently, recording/reproducing apparatuses adapted to automatically record broadcast programs on the basis of user preferences for example and automatically delete those recorded broadcast programs which have been left unreproduced for a certain period of time have been put on the market and gaining popularity.
For technologies applicable to these apparatuses, technologies for managing the setting of timer-recording and managing recorded programs have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-16889) discloses a technology in which, if the organization of a broadcast program has been altered to make broadcast time zones of two or more programs set for timer-recording overlap, the user is notified of the occurrence of such a situation by means of user's personal computer or user's mobile phone via a network.
In addition, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-100158) discloses a technology in which, if there is any content recorded by not yet reproduced, the user is notified of the existence of such content. This Patent Document 2 also discloses a technology in which, if a particular piece of content not yet reproduced has been selected as a candidate for the content to be deleted so as to allocate a free space to a recording medium, the user is notified thereof for confirmation.
Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-69927) discloses a technology in which, the information about the timer-recording set on a plurality of devices is managed by a single server and, if the programs set for timer-recording include any of which broadcast time zones overlap, an electronic mail message is sent to the device by which that setting has been made, thereby solving the time zone overlap.
(Problem 1)
With the above-mentioned recording/reproducing apparatuses, the signal of a broadcast program to be recorded is extracted from a broadcast wave by a built-in tuner. Therefore, if there is one built-in tuner, one broadcast program may be recorded, if there is two built-in tuners, two broadcast programs may be recorded, and so on, so that the number of broadcast programs that may be simultaneously recorded is limited by the number of built-in tuners.
If two tuners are built in for example, one or two broadcast programs may be recorded at the same time and three or more broadcast programs cannot be recorded at the same time, so that, when two broadcast programs to be broadcast in a same time zone have already been set for timer-recording, an attempt to additionally timer-record a third broadcast program in the same tine zone results in an error. Therefore, the user cannot set the recording/reproducing apparatus for timer-recording the third broadcast program.
On the other hand, broadcast time zones may be changed by broadcast stations, possibly resulting in a situation in which broadcast programs exceeding the number of channels must be recorded at the same time. This example is shown in FIG. 1. It is supposed in this example that two tuners be incorporated in the recording/reproducing apparatus.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, it is supposed that the timer-recording of drama 1 to be broadcast in a broadcast time zone from 21:00 to 22:00 (the original broadcast time zone) be set and the timer-recording of dramas 2 and 3 to be broadcast in a time zone from 22:00 to 23:00 be set. In a time zone from 21:00 to 22:00, there is only one drama 1 set for timer-recording. In a time zone from 22:00 to 23:00, there are only two dramas 2 and 3 set for timer-recording. Therefore, the recording/reproducing apparatus having two tuners may record all of these three programs.
If a baseball live broadcast being broadcast immediately before drama 1 is extended by 30 minutes as shown with white arrow A1, then drama 1 to be broadcast after the baseball live broadest is accordingly postponed by 30 minutes as shown with white arrow A2, resulting in a situation in which there are three broadcast programs to be recorded in a time zone from 22:00 to 22:30.
If such a situation is encountered, the recording/reproducing apparatus conventionally automatically cancel the recording of any one of the three broadcast programs, which may contract the user's intention.
This problem may be overcome by notifying the user of the situation and canceling the setting for timer-recording in accordance with the user's response; however, according to the technology disclosed in patent document 1, the response by the user to the notification (namely, the user selection) is not used in a next similar situation and therefore it is necessary to make a notification again by electronic mail for example if a similar situation occurs next.
(Problem 2)
As described above, some recording/reproducing apparatuses have capabilities of automatically recording programs selected by the user on the basis of user preference information. In such recording/reproducing apparatuses, learning is executed so that, if an automatically recorded broadcast program is deleted without being reproduced for viewing by the user for example, it is determined that such a program is not liked by the user, thereby lowering the recording priority for example to prevent a same or like broadcast program from being automatically recorded later.
Consequently, a condition that a particular broadcast program be automatically recorded and a condition that this broadcast program be not automatically recorded may be set at the same time. This example shown in FIG. 2.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the user has once deleted an automatically recorded talk program “The Room of T” (a broadcast program titled “The Room of T”) without reproducing for viewing. It is assumed from this fact that talk program “The Room of T” be regarded as a program that be not automatically recorded (condition A). At the same time, the user has often viewed programs in which popular idol K performed. It is assumed from this fact that every program in which popular idol K performs be automatically recorded (condition B).
If an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) indicates that popular idol K performs in talk program “The Room of T” for example, this program satisfies both condition A and condition B indicated by white arrow, thereby making it impossible for the recording/reproducing apparatus to determine whether to record this program or not.
If such a situation happens, a general conventional practice is that such determination is left to the discretion of the recording/reproducing apparatus itself. However, the determination by the recording/reproducing apparatus may contradict the user intention, so that, in order to prevent such a situation from happening, the user may be notified thereof as disclosed in Patent Document 1. Since the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 will not use each notification once made in a next similar situation again, the user must be notified of the situation again by electronic mail for example.
(Problem 3)
As described above, the recording/reproducing apparatus has capabilities of automatically deleting programs considered unnecessary for the user from the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) providing program data recording medium when the HDD is running short.
Normally, broadcast programs to be deleted are old programs for which a certain period of time has passed since the recording. However, if these programs have not yet been reproduced for viewing, it is difficult for the recording/reproducing apparatus to determine whether to delete or not. This situation is especially conspicuous if these programs were recorded by the user himself by setting timer-recording (namely, these programs were not automatically recorded).
As described above, Patent Document 2 for example disclosed a technology for notifying the user of a situation in which it is difficult for the recording/reproducing apparatus to determine whether or not to delete broadcast programs unnecessary for the user. However, even this disclosed technology is not adapted to reflect a result of the notification onto user preference for example to support the determination in later similar situations.